RATATOUILLE SALAD

{INGRID} Post New Year’s Resolutions – So who’s on a diet? and who is still sticking to it? Mine is the ‘Get Real’, or the ‘Be Honest’ diet which is basically mind games I play with myself, saying ‘Seriously you really don’t need that…or quite often it’s ‘ treat your body with respect…don’t shovel that beautifully crafted custard square into your gob – it can wait till another day when you didn’t already eat that brioche. I’ve also started planking, signed up by Vanessa to the 30 day challenge, and boy it’s a challenge. I’m up to 1.30sec and I’m a shaking like a saggy baggy leaf, but as I’m signed up and accountable to all the others that are planking, I’m on my way to 6 pack town. Yah….diet or no diet, this salad is a summer stunner. Full of colour and big hearty vegetables that will fill you up and make you not feel like your not missing out on anything. If you want to make it your main meal – add some crumbled feta. Enjoy x This Warm lentil and tomato salad will also fill you up.

Place the garlic bulbs with skin on, diced aubergine and diced courgette in a frypan with a dash of oil and saute on low until soft – this will take about 20 minutes.

Place the peppers under a hot grill and grill until the skin has blackened and separated from the flesh of the peppers. (This is an optional step – having them with the skin on is totally fine too). When cool peel off the outer skin, discard stalks and seeds and roughly chop .

In a bowl add the cooked aubergine and courgette, finely diced onion, halved cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped peppers and torn basil leaves and combine. Add a few grinds of salt and pepper to taste.

Dressing

In a food processor squeeze the soft garlic out of its skin, add the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar and salt/pepper.

Blitz until smooth. Taste – and add more sugar if you like a sweeter dressing or more lemon juice if you like it tarty and sour.

Arrange the summer ratatouille on a large platter/bowl and pour the dressing over and garnish with more torn basil leaves and extra cracked pepper.

Hi Genie, I have a lot of basil growing in the garden and I need to something quick before it turns to seed! I’m thinking a basil and mint pesto (as I have mint growing out of everything) It’s nearly lifting up the house!